1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image holding-supporting member forming an image of thermally flexible toner or ink on a paper layer, and a method for regenerating the image holding-supporting member. More particularly, the present invention relates to a regenerated image supporting member such as a sheet of image supporting paper able to be regenerated and reused from the image holding-supporting member, and a method for regenerating the image supporting member.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large amount of printer paper sheets and copying paper sheets has recently been used by office automation (OA). Therefore, a problem about a change for the worse of earth environment is caused by deforestation. This problem is generally solved by only one method. In this method, toner, ink, etc. are removed from a sheet of paper once used, and the paper sheet is crushed in water. This water is removed from the paper sheet by filtration so that the paper sheet is regenerated as a so-called sheet of used paper. However, a new sheet of paper reusable for making a copy or printing is recently developed. This new paper sheet is reused by removing character images from a paper sheet once used by cleaning.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 4-67043 shows such a paper sheet. In this publication, mold-releasing processing is performed with respect to a surface of a sheetlike supporting member, especially, only one face of this sheetlike supporting member. This supporting member as a sheet of copying paper is then marked to discriminate the supporting member from plain paper.
However, such copying paper has the following disadvantages.
(1) This sheet of copying paper is a special sheet of paper having a surface obtained by mold-releasing processing and is not each of sheets of general copying paper and printing paper used so much at present. Therefore, it is difficult to use this surface-processed copying paper as each of the general copying and printing papers.
(2) Accordingly, it is difficult to make a copy by mixing the sheet of surface-processed paper with a sheet of general copying paper.
(3) It is important to make a double-sided copy in view of reuse of resources. Namely, it is important to make a copy on each of front and rear faces of one sheet of copying paper in view of reuse of resources. It is considered that the double-sided copy will become a main current in the future. In such a situation, it is difficult to utilize a sheet of regenerative paper coated with a mold-releasing agent on one face thereof.
(4) An image is formed on the mold-releasing agent so that no image is reliably fixed onto the paper sheet. Accordingly, it is difficult to use the paper sheet.
Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) Nos. 1-101576 and 1-101577 will next be described.
In each of these publications, an image supporting member forming an image thereon is dipped into an organic solvent for dissolving toner resin for forming the image on this image supporting member. The image is removed from the image supporting member by ultrasonic processing.
However, in this method, problems about environmental pollution, firing, toxicity, etc. are caused by using the organic solvent. Accordingly, it is difficult to use this image supporting member in general offices, homes, etc.
Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 1-297294 will next be described.
This publication shows a method for cleaning an image forming supporting member. In this cleaning method, the image forming supporting member is formed by plastic, a metal, a sheet of paper or ceramic having low permeability with respect to liquid, etc. An image is formed on the image forming supporting member. This image is heated through a separating material thermally melted so that the image is removed from the image forming supporting member. However, in this cleaning method, it is necessary to use a sheet of special erasable paper having a surface on which mold-releasing processing is performed. Accordingly, such an image forming supporting member cannot be used as sheets of general copying and printing papers used so much at present.